RSK Renovation — Premium Renovation & Fit-Out, Dubai

Overview

The Largest Surface, and the One Where Preparation Shows Fastest.

Flooring is the largest single surface in most properties and the one where preparation shows fastest.

Hollow-sounding tiles, lippage between large format pieces, cracked grout lines running across a room. Almost all of it comes from the screed underneath rather than from the tile itself.

RSK handles flooring and tiling across Dubai villas and apartments, as part of renovation projects and as standalone work.

Flooring Services at a Glance

Screeding: levelling, falls in wet areas and substrate preparation

Porcelain and ceramic tiling: including large format

Natural stone: marble, travertine and granite, laid and finished

Engineered wood: glued and floating systems

Laminate and LVT: click and glue-down vinyl systems

Epoxy and resin: seamless floors for utility and commercial areas

Carpet and carpet tile: residential and office

Skirting and thresholds: tile, timber and metal trims

Movement joints: where large areas and temperature change require them

Removal and disposal: lifting existing floors and preparing the slab

Outdoor paving: terraces, pool surrounds and driveways

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What It Involves

What Flooring Work Involves

The floor is laid on the screed, and the screed is what determines whether the floor works.

The sequence is: lift the existing floor if there is one, assess and prepare the slab, lay or repair screed to the correct level and, in wet areas, the correct fall, allow it to cure, then set out and lay the finish.

Curing is the part that gets compressed. Tiling onto screed that has not cured means moisture trapped underneath, which shows up later as loose tiles, cracked grout and, with timber floors, cupping and lifting.

Setting out matters too. Where a floor starts determines where the awkward cuts land. A properly set out floor puts full tiles where they are seen and cuts where they are not.

Project Types

Types of Flooring

Porcelain and ceramic tile

The default in Dubai for good reason: hard wearing, unaffected by humidity, stays cool underfoot and needs almost no maintenance. Large format looks better and demands a flatter substrate.

Natural stone

Marble and travertine give a finish tile cannot match, at a cost in maintenance. Stone is porous, needs sealing, and marks from acidic spills. Beautiful in a majlis or entrance, demanding in a kitchen.

Engineered wood

A real timber layer on a stable plywood core, which handles humidity and temperature change far better than solid wood. Solid timber is generally a poor choice in this climate because of movement.

Laminate, LVT, epoxy and resin

Laminate and LVT are economical, quick to install and dimensionally stable — LVT is waterproof. Epoxy and resin give seamless, easy-clean floors suited to utility rooms, garages, gyms and commercial spaces.

Technical

Screed, Movement and the Details That Separate Floors

Screed, levels and movement

Almost every flooring failure traces back to the screed. Four things have to be right before a finish is laid:

Level: large format tile shows lippage at joints where the substrate is uneven. The bigger the tile, the flatter the screed has to be. Falls: in wet areas, showers, balconies and terraces, the screed creates the fall to the drain. Flat screed means standing water. Curing: screed holds moisture and needs time to release it. Tiling or laying timber too early traps it. Soundness: loose or hollow screed has to be removed rather than tiled over, or the new floor will move with it.

Movement joints are the other item worth naming in a quotation. Large tiled areas expand and contract with temperature, and in Dubai that daily cycle is significant. Without joints at the perimeter and at intervals across a large floor, that movement has nowhere to go and shows up as tenting or cracked grout. They are easy to design in and impossible to add afterwards.

Thresholds, skirting and detail

The detail where two materials meet is what separates a good floor from an adequate one.

Thresholds between rooms, between different materials, and at doorways need deciding at design stage. So does the relationship between floor level and door undercuts, since a new floor laid over an existing one raises the level and doors may need trimming.

Skirting is worth specifying rather than defaulting. Tile skirting matches the floor and is durable. Timber or MDF skirting suits painted interiors and is easier to detail around joinery. Shadow gap detailing looks cleaner and is less forgiving of an out-of-true wall.

In wet areas the junction between floor and wall tile also needs thinking about, because it is both a visual line and a waterproofing detail.

Approvals

Do You Need Approval for Flooring Work in Dubai?

For a like-for-like replacement, usually not. In apartments there is one common exception.

Replacing flooring inside a unit is normally the lightest scope, subject to the building's usual rules on access, working hours, protection and waste removal. Lifting an existing tiled floor is noisy work and buildings tend to be strict about when it can happen.

The exception worth knowing about is acoustic requirements. Some Dubai buildings specify an acoustic underlay under hard flooring, to limit impact sound transmitted to the unit below. Where that applies it is in the building's fit out guidelines, and it should be checked before materials are ordered.

Where flooring is part of a wider renovation that includes drainage or wet area work, approval follows the wider project.

Cost

How Much Does Flooring Cost in Dubai?

Material and area give the baseline. Preparation and format decide the rest:

Area

Measured properly, including thresholds and skirting runs

Material

Laminate, porcelain, engineered wood and natural stone span a wide range

Tile format

Large format costs more to buy, handle and lay, and needs a flatter base

Removal of existing floor

Lifting and disposing of old tile is labour and waste cost

Screed condition

Sound and level against repair, re-screed or self-levelling compound

Falls in wet areas

Creating fall costs more than laying flat

Laying pattern

Straight, brick bond, herringbone and diagonal differ substantially in labour and waste

Cutting and detail

Steps, curves, thresholds and around joinery

Skirting and trims

Priced by the metre, and easy to leave out of a quote

Movement joints

Small cost, and expensive to omit

Sealing

Natural stone needs it, porcelain generally does not

The number that matters

Not a per-square-foot estimate from a website — a written BOQ after a site visit, showing quantities, materials, exclusions and payment milestones.

Usually excluded from cheap quotes

Approvals and drawings, protection of retained finishes, MEP upgrades, waste removal, snagging after handover, and anything described as "subject to site condition".

Read the full guide: how renovation cost is built up in Dubai →

Timeline

How Long Does Flooring Take?

Screed curing sets the programme, and it cannot be shortened.

Lifting an existing floor is fast. Screed preparation and curing are not, and tiling cannot start until the screed is ready. After laying, grout needs curing before the floor goes into normal use.

Material lead time is the other variable. Specific tiles, particularly imported large format and natural stone, can take time to arrive, and it is worth confirming availability and ordering enough for waste before work starts. Matching a batch later is rarely possible.

Avoid These

Mistakes That Cost Money

Tiling onto uncured screed. Trapped moisture produces loose tiles and cracked grout within months.

Large format tile on an uneven substrate. Lippage at every joint, and no way to correct it without lifting.

Omitting movement joints. Daily thermal movement in a large floor has to go somewhere.

Ordering exactly the area with no waste allowance. Cuts, breakages and pattern all consume material, and batches rarely match later.

Laying a new floor over an old one without checking door clearances. The level rises and doors bind.

Choosing polished stone for a wet area. Slip resistance is a specification, not an afterthought.

Checklist

What to Check Before You Start

Condition of the existing screed, assessed not assumed

Whether the existing floor is being lifted or laid over

Flatness tolerance required for the tile format chosen

Falls in wet areas, and where water is meant to go

Whether the building requires acoustic underlay

Laying pattern agreed, since it changes labour and waste

Waste allowance included in the material order

Skirting type and whether it is in the quotation

Movement joint positions

Door clearances after the new floor level

Slip rating for wet and outdoor areas

Ask whether screed preparation, skirting and waste are inside the price. Those three are the usual gaps between a cheap quote and a complete one.

Why RSK

Why Choose RSK Renovation

Screed condition assessed and prepared before any finish is ordered

Flatness checked against the tile format rather than assumed

Movement joints and falls designed in rather than added to a snag list

Setting out agreed so cuts land where they are least visible

Written quotation including screed preparation, skirting and waste allowance

FAQ

Flooring FAQs

What is the best flooring for Dubai?

Porcelain tile is the default for good reason: hard wearing, unaffected by humidity, cool underfoot and low maintenance. Engineered wood works where a timber look is wanted, because it handles humidity far better than solid wood. Natural stone is beautiful and needs sealing and care.

Can you lay new tiles over existing tiles?

Sometimes, if the existing floor is sound, well bonded and the resulting level rise is acceptable. It saves removal cost but raises the floor, which affects door clearances and thresholds. Where the existing floor is hollow or loose, it has to come up.

Why are my tiles cracking or sounding hollow?

Usually a screed problem: uncured, unsound or uneven when the tiles were laid. Missing movement joints in a large area is the other common cause, since thermal movement has nowhere to go.

Do I need acoustic underlay in my apartment?

Some Dubai buildings require it under hard flooring, to limit impact sound reaching the unit below. It is set out in the building's fit out guidelines and should be checked before materials are ordered.

Is solid wood flooring a good idea in Dubai?

Generally not. Solid timber moves with humidity and temperature change. Engineered wood, with a real timber surface on a stable core, handles the conditions far better and looks the same.

How much extra tile should I order?

Enough to cover cuts, breakages and the laying pattern, since diagonal and herringbone patterns consume more than a straight lay. It is also worth holding a small quantity afterwards, because matching a batch later is rarely possible.

Does natural stone need sealing?

Yes. Marble, travertine and most natural stone are porous and mark from acidic spills. Sealing is part of the installation and needs renewing periodically. Porcelain generally does not need it.

Book a Flooring Survey

Tell us the area, the property and what material you are considering. We will check the screed condition and levels on site, and quote with preparation, skirting, waste allowance and movement joints included.

+971 8001 217 info@rskrenovation.ae

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Flooring and Tiling in Dubai